Monthly Archives: September 2012

Well, we’d estimated Roo’s due date to be either yesterday or today and so far she seems quite content to keep on baking her sweet treats. We are eager to meet our little miracles, but I suppose we’ll just have to continue to be patient. After all, as long as she’s not showing any signs of distress we’ll leave her be. Whenever possible it’s best to allow moms the room to do what comes naturally. In the times we live in, it can be easy to forget that our bodies (and theirs) tend to know what’s best. 😉

Lily-Ann was eating a tart today and was quite happy to share with our little Rooty-toot:

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been relatively stressed and eager to share. This blog is really where I go to hash out things I’m concerned about, to put dreams into reality, to work out problems, to find ideas, and just to get stuff off my chest. So not sharing THIS? That’s been really freakin’ tough.

This? Oh, this? Ahhh, it’s nothing. ;P Yeah, just our NEW HOUSE!

Yep, what you see above is the MLS listing for our new house. We signed off on the conditions on Friday. It was a little stressful there for a bit… see, we’d sold our house in less than a day (with multiple offers) LAST Friday. So waiting for financing and the home inspection so we could officially call this place ours? Yeah. Stressful.

We love our crappy little house. We really do. But the girl is ready for her own bedroom, and well, as much as I hated to admit it, we’ve outgrown it. 620 square feet is fine for a couple, or even for a family of three when the third is still tiny. But Lily-Ann is ready for her own space… and that’s not going to change. Thankfully, many of the things we love about our home we’ll still have in the new place.

Our lot will still be a double lot, in fact, we’re adding a couple of feet. LOL Our current lot is 50×122, our new lot is 50×124. 😉 And while we’re gaining over 400 square feet of space inside, the house itself is still really cozy, cute, and cottage-like. We’re also still in the same neighbourhood – which I love so very much. And get this! We’re going from having a seven block walk to school to a two block walk. How fabulous is that???

We’ve got a ton of work ahead of us. We’ve lived here nine years, so that’s a whole lot of life that needs to be boxed up. And right during my busiest crafting season (which I’m not thrilled about). So this year we may end up having to purchase a lot of our Halloween costumes and accessories instead of having home sewn/made ones. But that’s a relatively little sacrifice.

Our possession date is November 10th, and we hand over the keys for this place on the 15th. That gives us four days to move house and clean up before we have to be out of here for good. I’m going to miss this place. Yeah, I know. It’s falling down around us. Heck, the recommendation was to tear it down and build a new place when we bought it – even back then we purchased it for the land value. LOL But it’s seen us through a lot. It’ll be weird seeing it torn down. I’ll have to take a bunch of pictures after we’re all boxed up… to remember all those little details I put into it. I’ll have a new canvas now, a new place for my murals and inspirations. The girl is already cooking up all sorts of projects for her room, and I’ll only be too happy to oblige. And… I have to admit, my wheels are turning already too. 🙂

This house is going to be amazing. It really is. I’m so looking forward to spending the next phase of our lives there. It’s going to be great!

Big thanks to Chris Craik (http://hallmarkrealty.ca/agentdir=3831/index.html) for all his help in finding the perfect place for us, and selling ours so darn quickly. As well as to Sandra Scheiss (www.leadingedgebrokers.com) and associates for landing us our new mortgage, even when we weren’t sure it would be possible. Only one step left, and that’s to send everything to the lawyers – which, after everything else, is definitely the easy part.

We missed the meet your teacher night this year because the girl had her very first ballet class that evening – but we already know Ms. Wolfmueller anyway. We are there every day after all, I’m a classroom volunteer, so hang out with the kids and Amanda on Thursdays. So when we showed up for school on Wednesday, we were given a lovely little gift bag all the families received the night before.

The effort that was put into these gift bags just further demonstrates why we love our school. Such thoughtful gifts for us to share, and completely unexpected and appreciated:

A hand stamped gift bag, a recipe for apple muffins, an apple with a poem tied onto it, a notepad, and a magnet with the school’s contact information.

We really do love the girl’s school. We started kid-kid there because we loved their pre-k program, Rhonda and Tracy are amazing, and the kids all adore them. But we continued there because of the real sense of community and belonging found throughout the school.

There are kids from all sorts of families, it’s a wonderfully diverse student body. Diversity is both celebrated and embraced in such a lovely way. The school participates in the Day of Pink, and I plan to encourage participation in Wear Purple day this year too. The administration team is fabulous, and well… we really do love Mayfair Community School.

Roo Watch 2012: Roo has been cool, calm and collected. No signs of early labour. She’s due on the 29th… so far so good. 🙂

Yesterday I headed down to St. Paul’s Hospital, the hospital where I was born, for an appointment with a specialist. I’ve been having issues with what I’ve dubbed “the ear troll” for months now, since the beginning of July. Well, some rather surprising news was revealed; it turns out it’s not an ear issue at all. I have Temporomandibular Jaw/Joint Disorder (aka TMJ or TMJD).

TMJ can mimic things like Eustachian Tube Disorder, which I was told by a family physician was the problem, because the jaw joint is actually located right next to the ear canal. In fact, if you put your finger in your ear and open your mouth you’ll feel the joint moving. That joint is what’s been causing all the ear aches, head aches, popping noises, dizziness, disorientation, and other associated problems. It’s nice to have an answer, but I’ll admit… I was hoping for a quick fix, and there is no quick fix for TMJ.

Dr. Shoman has put me on a liquid diet for a week, to allow my jaw some time to heal. And wow! It’s been almost a day and a half and I’m finding it rather difficult to adapt to. With most things only containing 100 – 200 calories, meals have to be every couple of hours or you get real weak, real fast. You can only drink so much thick liquid at a time, so you really are limited to small amounts. I find if I get busy or involved in something I’ll end up shaky and faint. So I’m having to be very conscious of my intake and my timing. I’m very much a chew-and-enjoy-your-food kinda gal, so this drink it down thing is definitely not me. I have a feeling that before the week is out I’ll have gotten to the point where I’m willing to lick dip off a ham stick just for the taste of real food – to be honest I seriously considered it last night. LOL And the idea of all those yummy crisp veggies just sitting in the fridge waiting for me? They are darn difficult to resist. This diet has been kicking my ass so far, but I’m determined to have it licked (pun intended) by the end of this.

After my jaw has been rested, we’ll decide the next step from there. Chances are my treatment will involve consultation with two or three specialists including Dr. Shoman (who’s an ear, nose, and throat guy), and oral surgeon, a dentist, and possibly my family doctor as well. We may also end up enlisting the help of a physical therapist at some point, but we’ll get there. Spring is my deadline. I’ll be fit and well adjusted again by Spring. Just in time to get back on the show circuit. Momma is missing her dog shows in a REAL big way. LOL

We have officially entered Roo Watch 2012!

Roo hanging out in the nursery – watching Daddy get their supper ready.

Okay, so you might be wondering what the heck that is and why you should care. Well… here ya go:

Roo (our blue tri-colour, smooth coat Chihuahua) is five days away from her estimated due date. She delivered her first litter in May of 2011, five days early. So while we hope she keeps on baking those sweet buns until their are good and finished, there is a possibility they may pop out of her toasty little oven early. This means we are now on Roo Watch 2012.

Why should you care? Well heck! Roo is awesome, and her two little girls Alice and Dee Dee (from her first litter) are even awesomer, so you know these new babies are going to be at least as awesome as their mom and half-sisters. I love them all to pieces, so you know I won’t be able to help but share. And seriously, who the heck doesn’t love baby puppies???? 😉

I am creating a new tag and category here at TD365 so you can track all Roo’s progress and see how her babies are doing after they arrive. Any time a post contains an update on Roo or her litter, it will be tagged with Roo Watch 2012 and the matching category. I think it should be fun. Heck, maybe I’ll even create a little graphic especially for her updates. Who knows. LOL

Look at that belly! Super cute little momma!

For those who are interested, our puppy nursery is actually a great big “rabbit” cage. It’s really not suitable for rabbits, but it makes a perfect place for a Chihuahua and her babies to start out. With a puppy pad and food and water bowls at one end, and a compostable “litter box liner” (with a low area cut out to allow her in and out without having to jump) with a thin lambswool crate pad in it, a heating lamp at the ready, and a water bottle over the puppy area in case momma doesn’t want to leave them – it’s absolutely perfect. It keeps the puppies safe and warm, and also gives mom an area to get away for brief periods to eat and potty while still keeping close watch. I am also able to keep the entire thing elevated to avoid any drafts that may creep along the floor, which just makes me feel a little better.

Tonight Roo is resting comfortably in the nursery, she was panting a little about 1/2 hour ago, but has settled back down. So I’m hoping it was just happy panting (which is something she’s known for doing when she’s excited). Unlike last year, when she caught us off guard while I was away at a dog show, this year, we’re all set and ready – but still hoping she waits until closer to her estimated due date on the 29th. 😉

Hope you’ll enjoy Roo Watch 2012 as much as I do. I promise to do my best to keep you updated with all the exciting news – including lots of snapshots (gotta love how handy the iPhone is).

With Halloween parties, Samhain, and Yule all just around the corner it feels like I’ve got a million projects on the go. I’ve got four costumes to put together (the girl needs two – one for our group theme, and one for trick or treating and school). I’m also collaborating with someone on my Yule gift for Damon, and I’m in the planning stages for some holiday crafting.

Autumn has always (at least as far as I can remember) been my favourite time of year, and now that it is officially here I’m starting to feel like myself again – all the holiday crafting and planning definitely helps with that. The last few weeks had been filled with a lot of anxiety. This time of year never used to include sending my girl off to school, and I really miss having her around. Now that we’re getting into a routine again, while I still miss her a ton, at least the stress of transition is over.

I have to admit, I really preferred kid-kid’s pre-k schedule to her kindergarten schedule. Yeah, okay… so there isn’t a huge difference. We’re on afternoons still, and Thursday is still early dismissal, but now she goes five days a week instead of four. You have no idea how much I treasured our Friday afternoons – just the girl and I.

Fridays have been my favourite day of the week for a couple of years now. Yeah, I like that Friday night is sleepover night and the girl is off at my parents place… but even more than that? I loved Friday afternoons. It was the one day a week when the girl and I would spend a few hours baking or crafting or playing card games. The mornings are filled with routines, getting ready for the day type of stuff and then getting lunch made. Friday afternoons were all about the girl and I just doing something fun, for the sake of fun. I really do miss that.

So I’m glad I’ve got holidays to plan for. Things to sew. Things to bake. Things to create. Things to make. It keeps me busy and takes my mind off of Friday afternoons. Not sure how exactly to fit those afternoons in anywhere else during the week, but I have to try something. Chances are, if I’m missing them, the girl is too.

It has been an odd couple of days… and I’ve been sick, which only compounds things. I slept most of the last two days away… except for breaks to feed, water, and potty the dogs and other animals (and myself). Until today at suppertime when the girl got home from her Friday night sleepover and her cousin Finn’s second birthday party – big thanks to my parents for taking her to the party while I’ve been in bed. Okay… so all that doesn’t seem so odd? No, you’re right. What has been odd though, is that I’ve been home alone through all of this. Usually it’s me who’s off traveling places, but this time Damon’s gone. He’s off at a shop steward conference.

Damon has been a shop steward for over a decade now (if memory serves). And while it’s not a volunteer position very many people would take, it’s always been something I’ve been proud of him for. Not sure what a shop steward is? Well, at their most basic they are there to stand up for the unionized employees in any meetings or disciplinary steps. Feel like you might be on the short end of the stick heading into a meeting with management? You can count on your shop steward to go in with you. They know their unions policies, and they’ll have your back. It’s a pretty thankless job, as many volunteer positions are, but I’m proud of my husband for all he does, for everyone he’s helped, and those he will help in the future. Shop stewards are pretty awesome!

It has been a long and exhausting day, so I do hope you’ll all forgive me for such a short blog post. I’m just online for a moment or two to wish you all well. Hold your loved ones close, and tell them how deeply important they are in your life. Give yourself the freedom to feel – deeply and fully – every day. Be gentle with yourself and with others.

Life has a tendency to throw a curve ball every so often, just to keep you on your toes. Some you catch, and return… others knock you on your ass. This one? This one hit me harder than I’d have expected.

A friend just shared the news that a woman I loved and respected has passed from this life. I knew she was sick, but I hadn’t seen her in years. I only ever knew her as the bright, intelligent, caring Mom to the Morin clan.

I have so many wonderful memories of Maryjo. She peppered my teen years with kindness and laughter, an ever present nurturing figure that I (and so many others) could count on. Mom to four boys, I remember her rescuing me from her eldest who had stuffed me in his hockey bag one afternoon. I remember the look she gave him as she made sure the others helped me out of that stink sack.

I would have been fifteen or sixteen at the time, and he was a few years older than me – and delighted in the fact that I was so pocket sized. At the time there were no girls in the family other than Maryjo, so the boys tended to treat me more like a brother – which is something she always felt the need to apologize for (though it didn’t bother me). I’d like to think those experiences helped prepare them for the sister who would come later, and whom they had learned to be much gentler to thanks to Maryjo’s no nonsense brand of loving discipline.

Maryjo always grinned and gave me a knowing look when the guys would call me idget (because I was “too small to be a midget”). They always treated me like one of their own… a middle sister. And I always felt so at home with them all and Mrs. Morin was a big part of that.

As tears dry on my cheeks after the news of her passing, I take comfort in knowing she found her way home. I’d like to think that she is again that woman – healthy, vibrant, full of spark – that I remember from all those years ago. Pain free, and rejoicing in all the blessings she has known.

My heart goes out to the Morin family. I can only imagine the feelings they must be coping with as they experience her loss. Maryjo was the hub of their home. You knew wherever she was you would find compassion, joy, laughter and tenderness. I will always hold her in my heart – a heart full of gratitude for all she gave me. She will be remembered with fondness, love, and appreciation.

Momma Morin and her boyz (hope they don’t mind that I nabbed this off fb). The clan as I remember them from my early teen years – a little older, a little hairier, but the same old faces I loved so much.

I have to give a shout out to the management team behind the Bluejays. Today the news came out that Yunel Escobar will be receiving a three game suspension for wearing eye black with a homophobic slur scrawled into it. The pay he would have generated during these games will be donated to You Can Play and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Escobar will also be undergoing sensitivity training, after which he will participate in an outreach initiative aimed at teaching others about sensitivity and tolerance towards the acronym community.

I’ve written about the steps being taken by Major League Baseball, and specifically certain MLB teams in the past… and this just further demonstrates their commitment to equality. It’s a good thing when people, so brightly spotlighted in the public arena are willing to take an obvious stand against discrimination and bullying. All too often people report only on the negatives. This may have become a story based on the ignorant actions of one man (who has since apologized and will be actively working to make things better) it has become a story of a team and an organization willing to do what is right, and that’s something worth noting.